The present invention relates generally to a method and system for generating, storing, manipulating and displaying location-based data and more particularly relates to a method and system for using a unique identifier of spatial location for to enable a database to become xe2x80x9clocation smartxe2x80x9d.
Geographic Information systems or GIS systems have traditionally been used to generate and manipulate images and other geographic information. One common application of such systems is to allow users to build and generate maps. In general, a map is a collection of objects displayed simultaneously on a viewing device or on media such as paper. Maps and GIS systems are particularly important where the people, places, things or activities that the map or GIS system describes must be understood in a geographic context. Many commercial users have found GIS systems to be particularly relevant to their needs. These commercial users include telecommunications service providers, who often have to design, build and maintain complex networks of equipment where knowledge of the physical location of the equipment is critical to efficient and effective network management.
Although the physical location of objects in GIS systems is often very important, existing systems do very little to allow users to understand the physical or abstract location of objects in a context that is easily understood by an end user and to easily manipulate and interact with the locational information relating to those objects. An example of an abstract location would be a street address. This is because in current computer-based GIS systems the objects are not inherently xe2x80x9clocation-smart.xe2x80x9d Location, especially abstract location, may be attribute of such objects. However, in present systems absolute physical or abstract location is not an object itself, which limits user""s ability to understand, use and manipulate location based information. Often the map that is displayed is merely a passive GIF (graphical interface format) file and conducting any spatial or location based analysis of objects within the map is complex and cumbersome.
Other computer based systems, including data bases, are also significantly limited in the way location based information is handled. A business may have many disparate data bases that all use or store locational information in slightly different ways. For example, a telecommunications service provider may have slightly different ways to refer to (i) the billing address of a residential customer; (ii) the service address; (iii) addresses associated with orders for products or services or removals or changes to existing services; (iv) directory addresses, legal land or municipal survey addresses; and, (v) the location of equipment such as telephone jacks. Also, the systems way capture addresses in different formats. Often information relating to these matters is captured in distinct and incompatible databases. In many organizations there may be dozens of such disparate collections of data. It would be useful to these businesses to be able to combine these disparate collections of data based on the physical location of the subject matter.
Most commercial GIS systems are poorly equipped to help remedy these problems. As stated earlier, the maps they produce do not have xe2x80x9clocation-smartxe2x80x9d objects. The GIS systems use complex and proprietary data structures and it is often difficult and expensive for end users to integrate their disparate data collections with the information and functionality provided by the GIS systems. There is a strong need in the current marketplace for relatively unsophisticated users or those without an extensive background in GIS systems to be able to incorporate location-based information in their applications, link disparate data collections on the basis of physical and or abstract location and to display and manipulate maps or other graphical presentations that incorporate their location-based data, or perform spatial analysis on the location based data.
These problems with handling location-based information also extend to the Internet and other communications networks such as intranets, and networks of wireless devices and personal digital assistants or PDA""s. Thirty years ago the Internet was a network comprised of four nodes that were all physically located in the United States. Today, the Internet is a global network of networks consisting of approximately three billion pages of computerized on-line information that are connected by millions of geographically dispersed nodes. The explosive growth of data available on the Internet has created a problem for those, such as Internet shoppers and Internet merchants, seeking to exploit it. The problem is that all this information remains largely unorganised in a geographic context. One of the only universal ways to navigate the web is through the use of xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d word searching. Internet index sites, such as Yahoo(trademark) have created databases that have cross-referenced keywords to specific Internet addresses. An Internet user, searching for information on a given topic, would enter search terms consisting of key words relevant to the given topic and the index would return a list of Internet sites or pages that matched the search criteria. However, key word searching is not adequate for location specific searching (e.g., an Internet user searching for wares or services that are available with a specified geographic area or a merchant who operates a web site and wishes to advertise not only the wares or services available, but also the geographic availability of these wares or services). There is also a need for Internet users to be able to publish location and time sensitive information easily on the Internet or any other searchable networks.
To establish location requires that the geographic information (e.g., address, postal code, latitude-longitude co-ordinate) be associated with a geographic reference system. This is a complex process requiring specialized technology and map data that is beyond the means of the average mass market consumer or merchant. Existing solutions to these problems include the creation of on-line directories or local, city or regional portals, many of which use third party mapping services to cross reference web-site contents to simple on-line maps. However, these existing solutions have thus far proved inadequate. These solutions are not universal; only content within the portal or directory can be used and only for pre-defined geographic areas. Further, the contents of these portals is often incomplete or not current. A third problem is that the maps generated are not interactive; Internet users often cannot plot their own data on a map and then perform a spatial operation or analysis on the map. An example of a spatial operation is determining the distance between two specified points. A fourth problem is that these solutions are often expensive and may be prohibitively expensive for small or occasional users. A fifth problem is that end users do not often want to provide their proprietary and sensitive data to a GIS service provider. They often want to link their proprietary data to a GIS in a non-intrusive manner. End users would like to perform spatial analysis on their sensitive data without having to disclose their data to the GIS service provider.
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for generating, storing, manipulating and displaying location-based data and more particularly relates to a method and system for using a unique identifier of spatial location, a unique key, for to enable a database to become xe2x80x9clocation smartxe2x80x9d.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and system for using a unique key or index of spatial location for generating, storing, manipulating and displaying location-smart data. The unique key also enables spatial analysis. A unique key can be located at the computer network user""s computer, location database server or anywhere else on the Internet. By being able to interact with the unique key or index, the computer network user can conduct sophisticated GIS functionality without having to acquire a high level of expertise in GIS systems. An added benefit or advantage provided by the present invention is that it allows linking or combining disparate collections of data based on the location of objects of interest within the data collections.
A location database server receives an indication of location from a computer network user. The location database server then determines a latitude-longitude value corresponding to the received indication of location. Following this, at least one other piece of data in addition to the latitude-longitude value is generated. This one other piece of data serves to allow for more than one unique key to be generated for any given latitude-longitude coordinate. The determined latitude-longitude value and the at least one other piece of data are then combined to form a unique key.
A computer network user, wishing to conduct a location sensitive search, generates a location sensitive search request and submits it to a location database server. The location database server receives a location sensitive search request having a location information component from a computer network user. It then parses the location information component into a format that is used by a location database. Once this is done, the location database is queried with the parsed location information component for records that satisfy the location sensitive search request. Search results from the location database that satisfy the location sensitive search request are then generated and transmitted the search results. The computer network user receives a search result from the location database server, and displays the search results.
In another embodiment of the invention a location sensitive search request is sent from a static location as a point of reference. A computer network user generates a location sensitive search request and an indication of a static location that acts as a reference point for the location sensitive search request. This information is then submitted to a location database server. The location database server receives an indication of the location of a static reference point and a location sensitive search request. A latitude-longitude value corresponding to the received indication of location of the static reference point is then determined. In addition, at least one other piece of data in addition to the latitude-longitude value is generated. The determined latitude-longitude value and the at least one other piece of data are then combined to form a unique key. Once this is done, the location database is queried with the parsed location information component for records that satisfy the location sensitive search request. Search results from the location database that satisfy the location sensitive search request are then generated and transmitted the search results. The computer network user receives a search result from the location database server; and displays the search results.
In another embodiment of the invention a location sensitive search request is sent from a mobile location of a wireless device as a point of reference. A computer network user generates a location sensitive search request and positioning information of the wireless device. The location sensitive search request and the positioning information of the wireless device are then submitted to a location database server. The location database server receives positioning information and a location sensitive search request. A nearest static location that corresponds to the positioning information is then determined. Following this step, a latitude-longitude value corresponding to the nearest address is determined. In addition, at least one other piece of data in addition to the latitude-longitude value is generated. The determined latitude-longitude value and the at least one other piece of data are then combined to form a unique key. Once this is done, the location database is queried with the parsed location information component for records that satisfy the location sensitive search request. Search results from the location database that satisfy the location sensitive search request are then generated and transmitted the search results. The computer network user receives a search result from the location database server; and displays the search results.
In another embodiment of the invention a location sensitive search request is sent from a device for which a unique key, which acts as a reference point for the search, has been assigned already. A computer network user generates a location sensitive search request and a unique key to a location database server. The location database server receives a unique key and a location sensitive search request. The location database is then queried, with the unique key as a reference point, for records that satisfy the location sensitive search request. Search results from the location database that satisfy the location sensitive search request are then generated and transmitted the search results. The computer network user receives a search result from the location database server, and displays the search results.
A computer network user, wishing to create location sensitive data and transmit it to a location database server, first generates information relating to at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive information. An indication of location for the at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive information is then generated. Following this the information and the indication of location is transmitted to a database server. A computer network server receives the location sensitive data relating to at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive data and the indication of the location of said location sensitive data. The indication of location is parsed into a format used by a location database to determine if a unique key may be generated for the parsed indication of location. If a unique key for this indication of location exists already, the location database server combines it with the location sensitive date and creates a database entry comprising the combined unique key and the location sensitive data. If a unique key for this indication of location does not exist, the location database server determines a latitude-longitude value corresponding to the received indication of location. Following this, at least one other piece of data in addition to the latitude-longitude value is generated. This one other piece of data serves to allow for more than one unique key to be generated for any given latitude-longitude coordinate. The determined latitude-longitude value and the at least one other piece of data are then combined to form a unique key. The location database server then combines the unique key with the location sensitive date and creates a database entry comprising the combined unique key and the location sensitive data.
In another embodiment of the invention a computer network user wishing to create location sensitive data that is stored in a location other than a location database server. A computer network user generates information relating to at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive information and an indication of location for the at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive information. The indication of location is then transmitted to a location database. The computer network user receives response from the location database server, where the response comprises a unique key that corresponds to the submitted indication of location. The unique key is then associated with the location sensitive data and a database entry comprising the associated unique key and the location sensitive data is created.
A computer network server receives the location sensitive data relating to at least one of an item, a service, an event of interest or an instance of location sensitive data and the indication of the location of said location sensitive data. The indication of location is parsed into a format used by a location database to determine if a unique key may be generated for the parsed indication of location. If a unique key for this indication of location exists already, the location database server combines it with the location sensitive date and creates a database entry comprising the combined unique key and the location sensitive data. If a unique key for this indication of location does not exist, the location database server determines a latitude-longitude value corresponding to the received indication of location. Following this, at least one other piece of data in addition to the latitude-longitude value is generated. This one other piece of data serves to allow for more than one unique key to be generated for any given latitude-longitude coordinate. The determined latitude-longitude value and the at least one other piece of data are then combined to form a unique key. The location database server then combines the unique key with the location sensitive date and creates a database entry comprising the combined unique key and the location sensitive data.